LEOCADIA K.

When I decided to start my own business, coming up with the name was the easy part. It was very intuitive. Leocadia K. just felt right. Leocadia (Lee-oh-kay-dee-uh) was my Polish grandmother’s first name (my mom’s mom), and both her maiden and married names started with a K. She passed the year before I was born, but I’ve always felt very connected to her not only spiritually, but also through my mom and her stories.

My Babci (Polish for grandmother) was quite the modern woman for her time. In the 1940s, she worked an assembly line, oversaw air raid drills and modelled plus-size bras and lingerie, while being courted by a Texas cattle baron. She made her own clothes, her kid’s clothes and even the upholstery for her house, using patterns of her own design that she cut out of newspaper. She was president of her church’s Lady’s Guild, and she was so well-liked there that the priest would come to her house for Sunday dinner. In the 1960s, she founded and ran WATES – the Women’s Association to Enjoy Slimming. Any woman small or large could join. They met at the health department and worked together to lose weight under a doctor’s supervision. She always took care of the neighborhood kids. Everyone in our hometown knew who she was and loved her. And like most small towns, she knew where her girls were and what they were doing long before they told her, simply because the town would keep her updated.

She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. She didn’t swear, ever. Even during arguments, she always kept her cool and tried to help everyone see reason. She always made sure to work things out. She was so inherently good, that she couldn’t hate anyone or anything, even if she tried. When she hugged you, you’d get lost in her embrace. She was extremely close to God and Heaven. She was pure love, and I feel her love every day.

Her essence and my artistic intuition connected to bring you the Leocadia K. you see here. It’s being present, going with the flow and loving the way you love. It's modern art, boho heart and warm cups of chai tea. It’s living life creatively.